Proposals for applying the act

Creation of a national agency for Open Science

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1In other countries, even in the English-speaking world, we found no evidence of national agencies or other authorities being set up to organise the collection and provision of scientific data. This lack of a central structure can be explained by the common-law tradition pertaining in the English-speaking world.

2In view of the structure of the French administration and the multitude of missions necessary to implement Open Science, we propose the creation of a French national agency for Open Science. This agency could take the form of an Independent Administrative Authority. It could serve as a platform where scientific publishers and scientific communities could all express their views.

3This national agency for Open Science could be given the following missions:

drafting and imposing the interoperability framework specific to scientific data;

creating a network of digital data curation entities for each scientific discipline, and ensuring that they accomplish their missions correctly;

training researchers;

drafting and imposing a good practice guide;

drafting and imposing an Ethics Charter;

drawing up a procedure for the certification or accreditation of digital data curation entities and monitoring its application;

maintaining a catalogue of scientific data.

4This national agency would ensure the efficacy of Open Science and monitor and measure the corresponding practices. Indicators could be developed to monitor, for example, the sharing of data by discipline, the use of analysis tools, the emergence of new knowledge through the use of these tools, and the impact of these tools on the world of scientific publishing.

5Such a national agency could contribute to the assessment of the progressive enforcement of the legislation by reporting on the impact of the provisions relating to Open Science in the Digital Republic Act and its implementing decrees.